REAL-LIFE experience and a passion for community upliftment has seen Mooi “Mazo” Mthethwa from Hillcrest making a positive impact on hundreds of young lives with the assistance of Project Dignity.

A motivational speaker with Nation Changers - an outreach extension of City Hill Church in Hillcrest - Mthethwa has been working actively in the Upper Highway area providing young women with much-needed reusable sanitary pads.

Commenting on her work, she said her personal life history coming from an impoverished home gives her a basis for understanding the desperation felt by many South African youngsters.

Growing up in KwaMashu and then Umlazi, following riots, Mthethwa spent her high school afternoons selling various trade items on the roadside in an effort to raise funds for her family. “We would all share the income we received,” said the philanthropist. “My mom worked as a hawker, selling clothes and meat, and was often away for months at a time. During these months there weren’t always enough funds for me to buy sanitary pads and I had to use cloth or even toilet paper.”

Her enduring spirit pushed her to continue working, finding a job as a cleaner for one of her lecturers which assisted with funding her tertiary studies. She also sought help from benefactors who saw her potential and Mooi succeeded in obtaining a diploma­ in education through Adams Mission. She eventually went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree as well as several diplomas in life skills, including a diploma in theology.

“I went to the Department of Education where there were lots of people looking for jobs. “We were asked who could teach guidance from Standard 6 (Grade 8) to matric and, through confidence, I managed to get the job at Shumaela High School,” said Mthethwa.

She continued on her upward trajectory, eventually earning the position of head of department through her determination and the constantly impressive performance of her matric pupils’ year after year.

It was only four years ago that she was introduced to City Hill Church through her daughter after resigning from teaching following an illness. She got involved in the organisation’s non-profit, Nation Changers, which has 360 volunteers in 51 ongoing projects, primarily in the Upper Highway area.

It was at a talk by Sue Barnes of Subz Pants and Pads that Mooi committed herself to working with the organisation’s non-profit extension, Project Dignity. The NGO works with sponsors to donate packs of eco-friendly sanitary pads and accompanying panties to young girls in disadvantaged areas.

Barnes established the organisation to meet the needs of many disadvantaged families who, like Mooi in her youth, cannot afford cosmetic items such as sanitary pads. The knock-on effect is that young pupils abstain from school for several weeks throughout the school year, missing out on crucial education time that could cost them a future. Barnes designed the hygienic, washable sanitary pad that clips onto a cotton panty, which can be reused for up to five years.

“When I heard Sue talk, it resonated with something inside of me,” explained Mooi. “I had been in that situation and I felt it was my passion to do something for these children.”

Through Nation Changers, Mooi assists in identifying schools where young women can benefit from the Subz packs’ donations. She then helps with the sourcing of funding for the packs and attends the school activations with the Project Dignity team where she gives motivational talks.

Commenting on Mthethwa’s involvement in the project, Barnes said: “Mooi is a valuable volunteer partner of the Subz-Project Dignity and City Hill Nation Changer project. She attends activations with Subz and offers an extremely uplifting dialogue with the girls focusing on her life story. Her charming personality always leaves the girls energised. “Mooi also assists with translation of the education programme and the question and answer session which is always well received. Subz benefits tremendously from having Mooi’s assistance with the Nation Changer programme.”

Nation Changers has secured funding for the next activation at Gwadu Zenex Senior Primary in Embo on 22 November. However, there is always a dire need for funding to meet the ever-increasing list of schools desperately seeking donations of reusable pads and panties for its pupils.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.